On May 11, 2023, in parallel with the holding of the G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in Sendai, Ms. Maria Cristina Russo, the European Commission’s Director for Global Approach and International Cooperation in Research & Innovation visited Tohoku University. Ms. Russo and her delegation held discussions with Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki and visited the Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer.
Ms. Russo was joined by two members of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, Dr. Gediminas Ramanauskas, First Counsellor and Head of Science, Innovation, Digital, and other EU Policies Section, as well as Science and Technology Advisor Tom Kuczynski. Associate Executive Vice President Mami Tanaka, Associate Executive Vice President Kazuko Suematsu, and Prof. Asako Sugimoto of the Graduate School of Life Sciences also participated in the discussions. The EU side opened the discussions on how gender equality and DEI can be promoted in scientific fields by explaining the union’s ongoing efforts in research and innovation. Tohoku University’s representatives then spoke about initiatives such as the School of Engineering DEI Promotion Project, which aims to increase the number of women in engineering, and the ‘Tohoku University Declaration of Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)’.
Ms. Russo and her delegation then visited the Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, where its director, Prof. Kozo Tanaka, provided an overview of the institute’s history and research activities. Associate Professor Shinpei Kawaoka introduced some of its initiatives and his own research. There followed a discussion on EU research and innovation policies and topics such as research exchanges between European universities and Tohoku University through JSPS and JST programs.
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